Don’t let the challenge of responsibility make you walk away from something you love.

there are times when the challenge of

responsibility will make you walk away

from something that you actually love

and people will judge you in that moment

and they will think you’re walking away

because you’re lazy but you’re not

walking away because you’re lazy you’re

walking away because deep down inside I

don’t know if I have what it takes and

this is the danger of disengagement

it is when you find yourself in a state

of shame or fear or trauma or exhaustion

and you walk away from what God gave you

because you don’t know how to manage it

it is the danger of this engagement it

is the danger of showing up in body and

not in mind I’ve learned that there’s a

big difference between coming to church

and being in church I’ve learned that

there is a big difference between coming

home and being home don’t link us say

nothing to me all year is that how it’s

gonna be even look at me crazy all year

like that there is a big difference

between having a child and being a mom

and sometimes the temptation is not to

exactly run away but to just disengage

I’m disengaged not because I don’t care

but just because I’m afraid I don’t know

if I have what it takes David was shaken

the death of Absalom represented his own

failure if only did you hear him if only

I had died instead of you it’s my fault

I didn’t give you what you needed and

it’s my fault

you’re dead and now it’s caught up with

him and he’s shaken and he’s disengaged

he’s not defeated

he’s disengaged he has the victory but

he’s not acting like

he’s the king but he’s not where the

king is supposed to be seized

he’s lost his sense of passion because

he’s moved from his position in ancient

times the cities were well guarded by

gates now David is in Mahanaim which is

not Jerusalem the capital city Absalom

is there and he’s going to drive him out

but not yet

the first thing he has to do is relocate

himself around the city are two gates

everybody say two gates our theme for

the new year is gates I want you to pay

great attention right now this is very

important in each city there would be an

outer gate that everybody saw we all

have one of those we all have the outer

gate that people see it’s our

personality that we project into the

world so people won’t judge us so we

will appear successful then there is the

inner gate it’s the second line of

defense we all have one of those too

it’s our actions – gates – gates – –

games and the action happens watch this

between the gates the bible does not say

put my verse up again is my theme verse

that David took his see this verse eight

at the gate it says that he got up and

took his seat what

we’re now up until this point he’s been

near the gate but he wasn’t in it

he was in isolation above the gate like

a lot of us live our lives watching

events unfold but not taking

responsibility for our outcomes when we

live online in an ecosystem of

pretension and narcissism and opinions

but don’t really make a commitment to

make a difference in the world and we

show up in the places that are most

convenient to our ego but refuse to

confront the issues that sabotage our

soul the action happened between the

gates not outside and not inside but

often between the gates transactions

would be made it was like a marketplace

of the daiba between the gates of the

city there would be buying and selling

and negotiation between the gates

prophets like Amos would prophesy to

maintain justice in the gates in the

gates when Ruth if you remember the Old

Testament story was claimed by Boaz her

kinsman redeemer he did the deal in the

presence of 10 witnesses in the gate

when Abraham bought the burial ground

for Sarah in the Old Testament he bought

it in the presence of witnesses in the

gate

it’s where the witnesses were it’s where

the judges would sit it’s where

negotiations happen is where the

conscience of the nation was developed

it’s where Absalom would stand at the

gate and before people could go through

turn them back after he’d promoted his

own agenda and everything changed for

David when he did something so simple

the Bible says that after all he had

lost and after all the tears here cry

and after all the mistakes he MA he did

something so simple and so profound

the King got up left his chamber and

took his seat in the gay in other words

I hear David saying like Arnold

Schwarzenegger

I’m bad my heart is broken but I’m back

I made some mistakes but I’m back I wish

I could go back and change some things

but I can but I’m back I’m devastated

about what happened but I’m back I’m

uncertain about the future I don’t know

where it’s gonna go from here I’m a long

way from home but I’m back now what I

picture in my mind is today thousands of

people who have gathered to hear this

message online or in person at every

location and I see you getting up from

the failure and the shame and the regret

that has kept you paralyzed and taking

your stand in the cape of praise and

entering his gates with Thanksgiving

I wish 70 people would sup up on your

feet right now

and shout at the top of your lungs back

[Applause]

let the temple no condemnation no no I

don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring

five everybody you can race

I’m back in it I’m back in it not gonna

stand over my life blaming people for

the next 20 years because of the last 20

get they may I may say and with the

enemy cops with his accusations and his

excuses I want you to look him square in

the eye before the year even gets

started good and tell him devil this

seat is taken

I said this seat is taken

no room for you to run my life cuz I am

seated in heavenly places with Christ

I’m back in position I’m back in purpose

[Applause]

get back in the gate get back in the

game you cannot change what you tolerate

get back in the gate you cannot change

what you won’t face get back in the game

you can’t change it by complaining you

can’t change it by if only but now if

you will take your seat God has prepared

a place for you in the presence of your

enemies

it might not rid you of your problems

but he has given you his breakfast hey

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